I've had it with people whining about Stephenson's endings. Yes, they're not what you expect. But neither are his books. He doesn't write like other people. He doesn't write according to accepted norms. He just plain likes to write a whole lot, and just sort of pours stuff into a big pile, and leaves it up to the reader to find something to enjoy. This does not appeal to everyone, needless to say, but complaining that he can't write endings is missing the point by miles. His books aren't about endings - they're about the crazy shit that's on every fucking page, not just the last fifty.